


The Enchanted Wood

by lessiehanamoray



Category: Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft, Persona 5, Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 13:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lessiehanamoray/pseuds/lessiehanamoray
Summary: Goro Akechi never expected to open his eyes again, much less in a forest.  But he did, and found himself surrounded by strange creatures and a man he didn't know.  Takes place after the engine room in Persona 5.  Written for Goro Week 2019: AU/Crossover.





	The Enchanted Wood

Wet dirt? 

That didn’t make sense. 

Yet the smell was strong, like a garden after the rain. 

Goro Akechi slowly opened his eyes, each time a little wider as he took in the oddity of his situation.

Back in the engine room, he had chosen to take down Shido’s cognitive version of him on his own. His chances of making it out had been slim, but the Phantom Thieves still had enough strength to flee. Better to ensure their escape than risk them dying alongside him. He had passed on his wish to their leader. He had ensured their escape. 

After the twin shots fired, he hadn’t expected to open his eyes again. Much less outside.

Maybe this was an edge of death hallucination. The small creature sitting in front of him seemed indicative. 

A gremlin perhaps. With a tentacle nose. Tentacle whiskers? It stared at him with bright yellow eyes, the gleam of intelligence and curiosity quite clear. Its tentacles twitched. 

The creature let out a set of low fluttering noises, not unlike a shakuhachi or a low-pitched flute. Surprisingly low pitched for a creature no bigger than his head. 

“Leave him be,” a masculine voice chided in plain Japanese.

Japanese! The first familiar thing about this place. 

Goro tried to sit up, but his head spun and he fell back down. Down on a rusack backpack, he now realized. 

The creature let out another set of fluttering noises. Goro heard movement, the crunching of dead leaves and twigs underfoot. 

The face of a Japanese man, probably in his late twenties, peered down at him. He kept his black hair short, but long enough to look a bit messy. It had less lift than Akira’s, but was a fairly similar cut. He had grey eyes like Akria too. At least, they looked grey in the dim light. 

The man reached out a hand to touch Goro’s forehead. 

Goro flinched, but didn’t have the energy to pull away. The energy for a question would have to do then. 

“Who are you?”

The man pulled away, a tiny smile on his lips. “You use codenames, right?”

How did he know that?

“It’s a good idea,” the man continued.

Goro had hoped the stranger wouldn’t dodge the question, but inquiring about codenames? Goro Akechi did not appreciate knowing less about a person than they knew about him. 

“Call me Emperor. And you’re...Crow, right?” 

“H-how-?”

Emperor smiled at him. It felt both kind and condescending, giving Goro the distinct impression that this was a person who looked down on everyone. It was the sort of smile Shido might give, if he had any kindness.

“I heard your calls,” Emperor replied. 

“Calls?” What calls?

A chorus of fluttering erupted through the forest. 

Emperor looked to the sky, tilting his head back and forth like an owl. His smile vanished.

Sensing trouble, Goro tried to sit up again. This time, slowly. His head still spun, but not badly enough to force him back down. 

He opened his mouth. Emperor held out a finger.

Goro felt something move across his lap, something which instinctively made his skin crawl. He looked down to see the strange creature walking over him. 

He shuddered. Its face may have looked somewhat like a tentacled gremlin, but its body better resembled a rubbery rat. 

It let out a series of flutters, tentacles swaying as it spoke. 

Emperor looked down at it, responding with his own strange series of whistles. The creature scampered off. 

“Can you stand?” Emperor whispered.

“Maybe.”

“Good. Then stand.”

He spoke softly and with not a hint of harshness. 

Goro Akechi stood, surprised at how quickly he had gotten to his feet. He hadn’t even fully registered the words yet. And, while his head spun like a carnival ride, his body refused to drop back down. 

Emperor grabbed the backpack and quickly slid it onto his shoulders. He looked around then, supposedly to judge the best direction. 

Goro certainly didn’t see an obvious choice. The forest was thick with trees that made Aokigahara look young, their branches twining above into a roof-like canopy. No light filtered down. Instead, a host of luminescent fungi granted the forest an eerie green and yellow glow. 

“Where are we?” he whispered.

“The Enchanted Forest,” Emperor answered absent-mindedly. His fiddled with a small hoop earring in his left ear. “And we need to leave.”

That didn’t really answer his question, but Goro decided it best to take things at face value for now. The strange fluttering had stopped, and he could see Emperor’s concern from the nervous fiddling. 

Besides, his head felt like it might split open and Goro felt each hit from the Phantom Thieves acutely now. Not a good time to argue with a stranger.

“Where to?”

“Hmm.” Emperor placed a hand over his face. “Somewhere safe.” He nodded to himself. “ It’s a bit far though.”

“What is?”

“Celephaïs.” Emperor uncovered his face. “And from there, Ulthar.”

Celephaïs? Ulthar? Those names, especially the second, sounded familiar to Goro. 

“Best avoid Nir.” Emperor took a deep breath and stopped fiddling with his earring.

“I’ll do my best to explain on the way.” He wrapped an arm around Akechi, steadying the wobble. “But quietly.”

Akechi nodded his understanding. With that they began slowly moving through the strange forest. 

Occasionally, a flutter called out from among the thick trees, causing Emperor to change direction, but otherwise they moved in mostly straight lines. 

Not understanding the language used to convey these direction changes, Goro settled on trying to better understand where he was, and who he was with.

The Enchanted Wood appeared to be an ancient forest filled with phosphorescent fungi. Very little plant life grew on the forest floor, indicating a lack of sunlight even at the brightest of times. On the other hand, that same lack of sunlight, seemed to lead to a very happy fungi population.

The whole place felt very primordial to Goro. 

While he associated thick forests with ghosts and corpses, this place felt like somewhere humans barely entered, and had never settled.

As for the who, Emperor, Goro was starting to get a feel for the man. He was clearly Japanese, Goro even recognizing the brand of the backpack. The clothes were unfamiliar though. The man wore a mostly gray outfit, with a white and black jacket. Goro thought it rather resembled a straight jack. Custom made perhaps? 

Additionally, Emperor seemed to only have only one ear pierced with a small hoop earring which was decidedly out of fashion. Goro got the impression it held specific sentimental value. Especially since the man otherwise didn’t wear a lot of ornamentation. The only other piece of jewelry Goro saw was a single ring on the man’s left hand, likely a wedding band. 

Emperor looked prepared though, and wore high quality walking shoes. Much better for tromping through the woods than Goro’s current attire. 

Thinking about shoes caused Goro to suddenly realize that he was wearing his normal winter clothes, and not his black mask outfit. 

Did that mean this was the real world? 

Emperor pulled him into the open trunk of one of the trees. “You okay?”

Goro nodded, despite the fact that his head still felt ready to split open. They weren’t moving fast, but with every step a labor, his breaths still came out as ragged gasps.

Emperor pulled out a handkerchief emblazoned with the number one. “Use this.” He then dropped the backpack.

Goro wiped the sweat off his brow while Emperor dug around the sack, eventually pulling out a canteen. He pushed it towards Goro. 

“Drink.”

Once more, Goro found himself well into the motion before conscious thought. He had already taken a large gulp by the time his paranoid mind sent the message that it might be poisoned.

Whatever. This man seemed helpful, and if he wasn’t? Well, Goro Akechi hadn’t exactly planned to survive in the first place. 

“Sorry, I don’t have much food.” Emperor peered out the hollow. A series of fluttering calls sounded. “We’ve lost them for now.”

“Who?”

Emperor turned to him, gently taking the now mostly empty canteen. He brought it to his own lips then, finishing it in a great gulp. 

“Moon-beasts.”

Goro stared at him, waiting for elaboration. 

“Slavers.” Emperor knelt down to put the canteen away. “And bounty hunters.” He slung the pack back over his shoulders. “If they catch you, you’ll be lucky to die.”

Wouldn’t be the first time. 

“They’re after you?”

“Us.” Emperor checked outside the tree again. 

Goro furrowed his brows. Why the two of them? And what, exactly, gave these slavers the name ‘moon-beast’?

He placed a hand on Emperor’s shoulder. “Us?”

The man looked back at him. He stepped back out then, putting his arm around Goro to offer support once more. 

“Persona users.”

Goro’s eyes widened, a million questions flooding his mind. This wasn’t the time though, not with slavers on their tails and a strange forest around them.

  
  
  


Emperor set Crow down beside an expansive trunk, so large you could carve out a house inside. The poor kid was trying hard, but exhaustion showed. He had a profuse sweat, ragged breath, and had blacked out several times during their trek. 

It worried Emperor that he hadn’t encountered a barrage of questions the moment they stopped. And it worried him even more than Crow had his eyes closed.

Emperor could almost see the waves of nausea washing over the boy. 

He sat down beside him. “Last chance to rest. After this, we leave the forest.”

The fluttering speech of the zoogs sounded through the trees. 

Emperor sighed, leaning against the stout trunk. “And they’re waiting for us.”

Another route perhaps? The Enchanted Wood was massive, with no possible way to cover all exits. 

He could try using the Underworld. Even the moon-beasts didn’t dare descend those depths. 

He glanced back over at Crow. No. The ghouls were bound to attack such easy prey, even with Emperor in the way. 

Celephaïs and Ulthar still seemed the best destinations. While the moon-beasts used the port of Celephaïs, they were rarely seen in the city personally, and never crossed the bridge to Ulthar. The cats hated them too profusely. 

The fluttering voices of the zoogs sounded once more. 

Strange creatures in the sky? Emperor asked for more details. 

The zoogs struggled a moment, a range of possible answers sounding through the forest. 

Crow’s eyes slowly opened to the cacophony. 

The zoogs settled on a single set of notes. 

“What are they saying?” Crow whispered. His voice sounded parched. 

Emperor furrowed his brows. Good question. The zoogs described the strange creatures as flying bat corpses, at least as far as he could tell. However, Emperor didn’t think he had it quite right. Whatever word or phrase they wanted to use, he didn’t know it. 

“Something’s joined the moon-beasts. Something new.” He fiddled with his earring. “Even the zoogs seem confused, and I don’t know the words they’re trying to use.”

“Zoogs,” Crow muttered, taking in the word. 

The moon-beasts must have realized they’d avoid Nir. And they couldn’t stay in the woods forever. The zoogs liked him well enough, but weren’t much for long-term company. 

The stairs? 

He looked at Crow again. 

Could his body survive the climb? And could it then survive the return to the waking world? 

In the Dreamlands, at least, he had a chance. If his will dictated his life, his body wouldn’t crumble. And even then, he needed medical care.

Medical care he could only receive in one of the larger cities. 

“You said they’re after persona users.” Crow spoke between ragged gasps, but at least he had the energy for inquiry. 

Emperor nodded. “They never miss a chance to try for me,” he mused, “but this is different.”

He focused his attention on Crow. “They’ve never gone out of their way like this before. Their master is the sort who dares you to challenge him. Crow, do you know your arcana?”

“My arcana?”

Emperor nodded.

“I...what?”

Emperor sighed. New persona users paid so little attention to their arcana symbols. Fine then. “Like a tarot deck,” he explained. “It can help gauge your affinities. I think you’re probably a very powerful one, and somehow very special.”

Crow let out a derisive snort. “I’m not special.”

“True or not, the Crawling Chaos seems intent on claiming you.”

He saw the puzzlement in Crow’s eyes. And then a flicker of recognition.

“Nyarl-”

Emperor practically shoved his hand in Crow’s mouth. “Not here. Not in the Dreamlands, not with the moon-beasts so close” he warned. “But yes, the Crawling Chaos, the One with a Thousand Masks, the Dark Pharaoh.” He slowly removed his hand. “To speak his name is to invite attention.”

Crow nodded, but Emperor got the distinct impression he had spawned more questions than he answered. At least Crow seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation now. 

Emperor contorted his mouth to better speak the fluttering language of the zoogs. “Where’s the nearest cover?”

The zoogs quickly gave their response. A ravine, not more than a dozen zoogs taller than Emperor, and too narrow for the toad-like moon-beasts. 

It would have to do. He turned back to crow. “Can you make a run for it?”

Crow rose to his feet. “Let me stretch first.”

Not a bad idea. 

  
  


Goro Akechi and Emperor peered out from the edge of the treeline. About half a dozen creatures Goro assumed were the moon-beasts paced back and forth, a group of nearly a dozen mostly-human looking slaves around each. 

Emperor had told him these creatures were somewhat toad-like, large, and used tentacles coming off of their stout snouts to express themselves. He had neglected to mention that tthey towered over their slaves, despite being hunched over. Or that their strong-looking arms ended in three skeletal-looking claws. Or the fact that when they raised themselves to full height to snap at the strange flying creatures overhead, they exposed wide mouths filled with gleaming teeth reflected in the full moon light. 

Goro Akechi understood that these flying creatures were new to Emperor. Indeed, much of the reason to risk just poking out of the trees before attempting their escape was to get a gauge for their new foe. The creatures had long face, somewhat like a skeletal horse. Two large bat wings. Long claws. They smelled horrific, even from a distance, like someone had barfed up an entire pack of Natto and let it sit in the summer heat and humidity. Goro got the bad feeling it would only get worse up close. Any time one of the creatures passed by a hulking moon-beast, at least one of the surrounding slaves puked. 

Pleasant. 

He tore a piece of cloth off his battered shirt, and saw Emperor pulling out a handkerchief. They wrapped the cloth carefully around their noses. 

Honestly, the smell of his own blood and sweat wasn’t great either, but it seemed better than the alternative. 

They retreated back behind the trees. 

“You ready?”

Goro slowly and carefully rolled his neck, letting the roll twist the rest of his body as he did. Emperor had given him a piece off one of the many glowing mushrooms present in the forest to numb the pain. It worked, but left a sensation much like novocaine wearing off. His mouth was especially numb, but everywhere tingled. 

He nodded. 

“On go then.” The two of them got into position as close to the ravine as they could manage. It didn’t look like much, but Emperor said the zoogs apparently used it to travel several miles. 

One problem at a time. 

“One.” 

Goro took a deep breath. 

“Two.”

Both men set themselves in a better running position.

“Three.”

Here it came.

“Go!”

Even prepped, Goro found himself responding before his mind even registered the command. It bothered him more than a little that he responded to Emperor so instinctively, but he wasn’t about to argue. Not when it sent both of them hurtling out of the treeline at a dead sprint. 

The flying creatures wasted no time to swoop towards them, raptor-like claws extended to grab their prey. 

“Vishnu!” Emperor shouted, holding a hand over his face as he ran. A giant, rather vile looking, humanoid appeared in the air, red lining of its black cloak billowing as it ran just above Emperor. 

Emperor grabbed Goro’s hand. “Stay close.”

No kidding.

“Magandyne!”

The earth erupted around them, spikes charging the sky. 

The flying creatures veered away, but not before Goro caught a whiff. 

They didn’t smell like rotten natto. They smelled like death. A decaying corpse left to rot. Just the sickly sweet smell of decay mixed with human waste.

“Vishnu, blow this smell away!”

Gusts of winds plowed through the air, dissipating the stench and keeping the creatures at bay. 

Unfortunately, at this point the moon-beasts had noticed them too. Harpoons thrown by the humanoid slaves streaked towards them. Several were caught in the whirlwinds, but not all.

Goro took a deep breath. His turn. 

“Loki.”

He felt the helmet form around his face. And he felt the strength. Angry, painful, power. The striped persona appeared under Vishnu, Laevatein swinging wildly to deflect, and in some cases melt, the projectiles. 

The moon-beasts howled like hunting wolves. The flying creatures screeched like vultures and attempted to descend once more. 

No. He refused. 

They would burn.

“Maragion!”

Fire engulfed the sky and wound itself within the whirlwinds. 

Emperor grinned. A moment later those winds condensed, sending fire rushing at their enemies. 

Goro had to admit, he was impressed. Not only was Emperor clearly quite powerful, but he knew how to use his abilities in interesting ways. 

The Phantom Thieves had always been rather useless in that capacity. 

A moon-beast leaped at them, maw wide and ready to tear into Emperor’s midsection. 

Goro grinned, a smile at least as vile as the persona above him. “Tetrakarn.”

The monster bit into Emperor, only to bounce back a second later, the wound it should have delivered to Emperor now upon itself. 

“Nice.”

Goro nodded, appreciative of the compliment. He still felt numb, but adrenaline coursed through him. 

New creatures. New environs. A new ally. This was...exciting.

Another moon-beast leapt at them, only to be snatched in one of the flying creature’s talons and thrown aside. 

Goro saw Emperor’s eyes narrow in concern. It made sense. If what he said was true, then the moon-beasts worked for a great power in this place. So, what did these flying beasts work for?

What could compete with the Crawling Chaos?

Three of the moon-beasts and their slaves moved to intercept, forming a blockade by the ravine. 

Emperor’s eyes glowed yellow. He and his persona shouted together. 

“Move aside!”

The slaves dove out of the way, and even the moon-beasts leapt aside. But while the slaves cowered on the ground from the resounding voice, their masters quickly recovered. 

So those commands were part of his power. That made sense, but still, seeing it used to such great effect...

This was someone worth paying attention to. Maybe someone worth fearing. 

Loki let out a loud groan, dissipating in the talons of the winged creatures and sending a sharp spike of pain through Goro’s mind. 

Shit. He’d lost concentration and now those claws came for him. 

“Duck!”

Goro dove to the ground. Talons swept over him. 

A moment later he heard a grunt. Rising to his feet quickly as he could, Goro saw Emperor engaged with two of the moon-beasts. He fought well alongside his persona, Vishnu acting almost as an extension of his body. 

It didn’t matter,Goro realized. Emperor might win the fight, but it wouldn’t be fast. Not fast enough to help him again.

And there was the third moon-beast. It loped toward him like a bear. It’s wide jaw open, the tentacles around it splayed to better catch its prey. 

A great gust of wind overhead signaled the return of a flyer. It descending upon the hulking brute. 

The moon-beast bit its opponent’s leg, even as talons wrapped around it and powerful wings brought both high into the air. 

Something landed behind him. 

Goro turned to regard to the winged creature. It had landed just behind him. Its eyes glinted with baleful intelligence. It opened its horrible beak.

He needed Loki right now. 

His persona appeared above him, Laevetinn set to parry the incoming strike. Only for Goro and his persona to get barfed on instead. 

He sputtered, some of the contents getting into his mouth. It tasted sweet and alcoholic, with a distinct taste of honey. 

Mead? Why?

“Crow! Get out of there.” Emperor called. 

Too late. In his confusion, Goro didn’t know how to mount a defense. Emperor’s command got him moving at least, turned towards the ravine and beginning his run once more. 

A talon wrapped tightly around him. 

He lurched, suddenly airborne. Goro wriggled as best he could in the grasp, but only succeeded in cutting into his skin. 

He saw Emperor below, a different persona above him now. This one belching flames and flashes of almighty light. 

One such flash reached for the sky.

Too late. 

The flying creature went higher and higher. Away from the battle. Away from the moon. 

Goro stared ahead of him, desperate to figure out how to escape. Or, at the very least, where this creature was taking him. 

They flew to stars, straight for the bull’s head.

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a sort of prequel for another story I'm working on. Might post the first chapter of that on free day, but will have to see how things go. Hope you enjoyed Goro's stint in the Dreamlands.


End file.
